Jess Glynne Stuns on FAULT Magazine’s Online Cover

With a number 1 single in her pocket, Jess Glynne is no longer just ‘the girl who sings Rather Be”. After hitting all the awards shows from the Brits to the Grammy’s, fast forward to 2015 and she’s topping the charts with ‘Hold My Hand’. Apparently, taking the world by storm doesn’t take up all your free time as Jess chatted to us this week about all things music, her forthcoming album and how having a one hit wonder doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re gonna disappear.

FAULT: You’ve started out by working with Clean Bandit and now you’ve got a number one as a solo artist. How does it feel? What was your first reaction when you heard the news?

Jess: It was probably one of the most emotional and overwhelming moments in my career so far. I mean, having a number 1 with someone else is one thing, but having a number 1 on your own name is something completely different. It was so amazing to have all these people supporting me, buying the single and making it reach the top of the chart.

We’ve seen before that some artists will shoot to the top and then for a number of different reasons they can’t maintain that peak and fall off into obscurity. In the digital age when people have less of an attention span, does falling off ever worry you, and if so how do you combat it?

You know what, it’s a worry in any industry, especially in music right now when you’ve got so many artists out. I’ve been working on this project for a long time and the one thing that I’ve always focused on is making sure that it’s honest. It’s really easy to have a one hit wonder and then just disappear. If your plan is longevity and to build an empire, you have to work hard. A lot of people think that if you’ve had one hit then that’s it, but you can’t think like that in this industry. You have to completely put your whole soul into it. So no, it doesn’t really worry me, I work hard, but obviously there’s always a part of me that has a tiny fear of losing it.

Now that you’re breaking into your own, how do you plan on differentiating yourself from being “the girl who sings Rather Be” and just being “Jess Glynne”?

I think that the more music I release, the more stuff I do, the more people hear of me will eventually just speak for itself. I’m in this industry to make music and to be an artist. Eventually people will be able to differentiate me by hearing more of my music and seeing more of what I’m about.

You’ve been nominated at the Brits against yourself. Was that an odd position to be in?

It was really really strange actually. It was amazingly strange though. The first two songs I’ve ever released into the world were both nominated for a Brit award and it was probably one of the most amazing achievements really. I mean a lot of artists never get nominated to any awards.

Speaking of awards shows, congratulations on your Grammy. How was the whole experience for you?

Absolutely insane. To be nominated is one thing, but to actually be there and win is like totally shit. I’ve never been so overwhelmed and shocked and excited and everything at the same time. Whenever someone mentions it to me I’m still in shock.

When you close your eyes and envision 10 years down the road, what dreams/projects/milestones would you like to hit that’ll just make this whole journey worth it?

If I were to look 10 years into the future I’d like to see that I have multiple albums out, touring the world, having a house and a family. All those things, hopes and dreams.

At least you ticked one thing off your wish list with the Grammy.

As much as amazing as the Grammy is, I’d love to win a Grammy in my own name as well. So that’s still in there.

You’re just about to release your album. What can we expect from it?

You can expect to hear what I’m about. A lot of people don’t know what to expect from me cause they’ve heard so much other stuff. Everyone’s like “is it gonna be a dance album, is it gonna be this and that”, but I just can’t wait for people to hear what I’ve been inspired by, what I’ve created from all the stuff that’s influenced me over the years. It’s got a lot of soul influence, but it’s not a heartbreak album.

Does it come from a very personal place?

It does come from a personal place cause it’s kinda about my journey over the past few years leading up to now. It’s personal in the sense that it’s me giving you the art that I’ve created, art that’s very close to home and that someone there has a personal meaning to me. It’s not a heartbreak album, but I hope it touches people in the sense that it will make them smile and feel amazing at any given time. When I listen to some albums chronologically from someone that I love, it makes me, you know, feel. With an album, you really wanna experience that and really get into it. Hopefully it will do the job.

From Coachella to the red carpet, you are always dressed to perfection. How would you describe your style?

I think my style is quite diverse. I’m very picky in what I wear, I won’t ever just wear anything. I like to mix things a lot as well and have something a little edgy to it. I can’t quite describe it.

Who would you say were your style icons?

It’s a really difficult question cause I’m usually inspired by what I love seeing here and there. One day I’d see something Rihanna’s wearing and love it and the next I’ll be walking down the street and see someone wearing something that I like. I don’t really have style icons in fashion I just love fashion.